His Maid, Witchly
by 1000 Words To Be Said
Summary: Sophie nearly had a heart attack when the head butler appeared next to the young earl. Had he been there the whole time? She certainly hadn't been able to sense him, which was odd. Humans were always easy to sense. Demons and reapers were the ones that were hard. So which one was this butler? SebastianxOC
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello there~! Thanks for taking the time to try out His Maid, Witchly! I wanted to try my hand at a Black Butler fanfic, and I've had this character and her story swimming about in my head for the longest time. I hope you enjoy this chapter and are thoroughly entertained! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

Sophie Twynam sighed heavily as she lugged her suitcase down the road to her new workplace: Phantomhive Manor. She blew her messy bangs out of her eyes in an attempt to clear her vision before setting her suitcase containing her belongings on the doorstep and knocking on the door. The young woman hoped fiercely that someone hadn't taken her place already.

Her train had been delayed several hours due to engine trouble, which had caused her to be a whole day late for her first day. Sophie had no way to contact them, and she would have just used a transportation spell, but her powers were still acting up for no particular reason. The brunette sighed deeply. The woes of being an unemployed, teacher less witch…

The door swung open to reveal a redheaded maid with glasses. Sophie gave a polite smile and curtsy.

"Hello. My name is Sophie Twynam. I'm here for the maid position." She really hoped the maid in front of her was the current maid, and not a new one that Lord Phantomhive had hired because she wasn't there to claim her position.

"Oh, I'll bring you to Lord Phantomhive! Please, come inside, then."

Sophie followed the maid inside of the manor, wincing at the weight of her suitcase. How could clothing weigh so much? Or was it all the books she had taken with her in addition to the one she already carried in her hand all the time? Either way, she hoped she and the maid reached their destination soon because the weight was killing her arms.

"By the way, miss, my name is MeyRin. It's nice to meet your acquaintance."

Sophie merely smiled back at MeyRin, too nervous to do much more than that. She was rather afraid she might empty her stomach if she dared to open her mouth.

The two women soon arrived at Ciel Phantomhive's room where he was currently enjoying some tea after finishing his breakfast. MeyRin announced Sophie's presence before urging her inside and leaving her alone with the young earl. Sophie curtsied low, bowing her head as well, before beginning to speak.

"I would like to give you my sincerest apologies, sir. My train was delayed -"

Ciel raised a hand as he took another sip of his tea, silencing the young woman.

"I am already aware of your train's delay, so there is no need to apologize. If you don't mind, Miss Twynam, I would like you to start right away. We have had some…" The blue-eyed boy exhaled slowly through his nose, as if thoroughly annoyed. He probably was; Bardroy had managed to nearly burn down the kitchen… again. "Unfortunate events occur recently. I am expecting company in a few days and need the house in top condition before he arrives."

Sophie didn't ask how he knew about the train's delay or about the 'unfortunate events,' but accepted the information and nodded. "Once I put my things away, I'll begin right away, my lord."

"Good. Sebastian, show Miss Twynam to her room."

"Yes, my lord."

Sophie nearly had a heart attack when the head butler appeared next to the young earl. Had he been there the whole time? Sophie certainly hadn't noticed him, and she was usually quite observant. Being a witch sometimes caused her a lot of problems, but the one advantage Sophie had always been grateful of was the heightened senses. She wasn't really sure what it was exactly, but there was always a sort of tugging at her mind that told her when someone was close by. The tugging responded differently depending on the person, of course. It was sharp and frantic if the person meant harm, but just a painless jab if it was just some passerby. Humans were easy to sense. Demons and reapers were the ones that were hard.

So which one was this butler?

Sophie immediately dismissed the question from her mind, reassuring herself that she hadn't noticed Sebastian because she was stressed out from all the traveling and worrying she had done, not because he was something other than a human. It was a silly thought, anyway. Why would such a young boy have a demon, or even a reaper, in his household? Demons weren't creatures that stayed by a human's side willingly; they had to be bound by a contract, and Sophie doubted that Ciel had made a contract with a demon. If Sebastian was a reaper that would probably mean Ciel was going to die soon, something that Sophie highly doubted once again. The onyx-haired earl seemed to be in perfect health, save for one bad eye.

So Sophie just politely smiled at Sebastian and followed him down the halls to her room, giving shy replies to Sebastian's questions about her trip. He seemed like a nice person, but the young witch couldn't help but feel like there was something… ominous about the butler.

"Miss Twynam?"

Sophie jumped slightly, surprised by the call of her name after her ponderings. "I-I'm sorry. What is it?"

Sebastian gazed at her with amusement in his red eyes (Sophie found those a tad frightening as well). "I asked if you had any prior experience as a maid."

"Oh, ah, yes, I supposed you could say. It wasn't exactly a formal job, but when I lived with my grandfather, I had to do most of the housework because he was already so old. It was hard for him to do many things, and he was nice enough to take me in, so I did all I could. When he got sick, I did everything; cooking, cleaning, gardening…" Sophie grimaced at the memory. It had been a lot of hard work. "But I don't exactly have any formal training as a maid."

"Well, so long as you get the job done well and without damaging anything, I'm sure that won't matter."

She nodded, continuing to walk beside the man that was about a head or so taller than she was. _There is something so weird about the aura he gives off…_

"Do you have any family left, Miss Twynam?"

"Yes, Mr. Michaelis, I do. My grandfather is actually very much alive."

Sebastian glanced over at her, shooting another question without hesitation. "And your parents?"

"Ah, well, they died when I was about ten years old, and that was twelve years ago. My grandfather is the one who took care of me after their deaths. Apparently both of my parents were only children."

_Oh, what a liar. _Her parents had had quite a few siblings, but all had been burned at the stake because they were discovered as witches, had died because of the reapers, or had fallen in a feud with another witch. How Sophie's parents died, she really didn't have a clue because her grandfather who _had_ been teaching her magic wouldn't tell her anything about their deaths. She hated being in the dark, but accepted the fact her grandfather wasn't ready to tell her, or that her grandfather considered _her _not ready to know. Sebastian didn't need to know about all of that, though. He just needed to know she had no one but her grandfather left.

The two soon came to where Sophie would be staying for the time she worked for the household, and Sophie had to admit that she was rather pleased with the room. It wasn't overly extravagant, nor was it obviously made to be the room of a maid, but just a plain, average sized room. It was probably the size of her room at her grandfathers house, give or take a few feet, and had all the furniture she could need: a desk, a bed, a dresser, and a small bedside table. The walls were a light mocha, the borders a deep chocolate brown, and there was a window on the wall that her bed was pushed up against. Sophie felt that she wouldn't mind staying here.

"Your uniform is already laid out on your bed, though it may not be your exact size. Later on we'll measure you to have your uniform properly fitted, but for now that one will have to do. Now," Sebastian gave Sophie a warm smile, though it still managed to make her feel uneasy. "Will you need help with anything, Miss Twynam?"

Sophie smiled politely back, shaking her head. "No, sir, I don't think so, but, um,"

He gave her a curious look.

She smiled more shyly this time, not sure how the butler would react. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer to just be called Sophie. I'm not used to such formalities, and it would make me feel a little more comfortable."

"I don't mind at all, Sophie, but that means you must call me Sebastian. It is only fair that we both drop the formality."

The brunette nodded, now feeling slightly more comfortable around the butler.

"It's best if you go ahead and change and wait to unpack until later tonight. I'll wait outside to show you to your first task."

Sophie nodded again and waited until Sebastian was outside of her room before undressing herself and placing the uniform on. It was slightly big, just as Sebastian had warned her, so the sleeves covered half of her palms, the skirt came a little below her knees, and it was overall slightly baggy on her small frame. The young witch mentally groaned, knowing she probably looked incredibly silly.

_Oh, well. I'll just have to grin and bear it._

After getting her uniform situated, Sophie quickly brushed out her hair that came down to the middle of her back before pinning it up in a neat bun the best she could. Her bangs still hung messily on her forehead and around her face, but at least most of her hair was now out of the way. She grabbed the book her parents had given her for her tenth birthday, slipped on her baby doll-like shoes she had bought specifically for this job, and left out a deep breath, grabbing the doorknob.

_Here we go._

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And there you have it! I really hope you had fun reading this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :)

~1000WTBS


	2. Naivete

A/N: Hello again my lovely readers! Here is the second chapter of His Maid, Witchly! Hope you enjoy it! I do warn you, though, I'm not sure if I captured Sebastian's character well enough in this, and this chapter mostly explains how Sophie ended up as a maid for the Phantomhive household. But it does get better towards the end~! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

Sophie fell back onto her bed, happy that the day was over. She had spent her day scrubbing away at the kitchen in an attempt to remove all the soot and charred pieces of food, and she had to wonder just _how _it had managed to get into such a state. _Perhaps a gas leak? But surely that would have put the kitchen in worse condition… Oh, well._ It didn't matter a whole lot to Sophie how that happened to the kitchen (though she was quite curious); she was just glad to finally have something to occupy her days with.

When Sophie was with her grandfather, she had usually spent her days practicing her magic, trying her hardest to surpass her parents' level. Things had been going rather well for her until her powers decided they simply didn't want to work the right way anymore. She was practicing a spell that would shrink objects, but instead of making the objects smaller, the objects either exploded or became larger. Wanting to be sure it wasn't just that spell, Sophie tried other spells, but the none turned out right, not even spells she had mastered by the time she was twelve. What frustrated Sophie most was that she, nor her grandfather, had any idea why her powers were acting so oddly.

Due to the fact she couldn't cast spells without the fear of potentially hurting herself and others, the young brunette had nothing to fill in her days other than cleaning the house she lived in with her grandfather, and even that didn't do much because both she and the older man were rather tidy people. Arden, Sophie's grandfather, finally suggested one sun-drenched afternoon that she find some sort of job to busy herself with.

So she began searching.

Unfortunately, the blue-eyed witch didn't have much luck. Most of the villagers that lived in the small town that she lived in with Arden were suspicious of her because rumors had spread around about her and her family all performing witchcraft, which, of course, was looked down upon. There hadn't been a single workplace that offered Sophie a job, and it aggravated the young woman immensely. Who were they to judge her based on a bunch of rumors? Granted, the rumors _were _true, but even so…

Then Ciel Phantomhive visited her town. Everyone was fairly surprised to find the young earl staying at one of the very few hotels in the town; where Sophie lived wasn't as developed as cities like London were and didn't have a lot of business. Why Ciel was there wasn't as important to her as finding a job was, though, so she carried on what she had been doing before he had ever arrived. Fate, it would seem, had a different course for her than finding a simple job in her little town.

She didn't have any intentions of coming into contact with the earl. Sophie really would have rather steered clear of him and his handsome butler, but Sophie was Sophie, and things she never intended to do she tended to end up doing.

Eleanor, an older woman who had known for the majority of her life, had been kind and allowed Sophie to work as one of the maids for the inn Eleanor owned. She informed Sophie she had an important guest staying at her inn and that his butler was out on business of some sort, and so she needed Sophie to prepare the guest's breakfast and assist him with whatever else he would need help with. Sophie, glad for any work to keep her busy, agreed to be the one to help this "_extremely important"_ guest.

Apparently Sophie left a rather good impression on the twelve-year-old because the next thing she knew, she had received a job offer and was headed to the Phantomhive manor.

_Ugh, my head… _Sophie clutched her head, wincing as she felt a migraine begin, the pain feeling like someone was trying with all his/her might to split her head open. She had been getting numerous migraines like this one lately, and she vaguely wondered if it was a result of not using any magic for such a long time before the pain became too much for her to really think anymore. The brunette soon found herself rolled up into a tight ball in the middle of her bed, tears streaming down her face as the pain continued to increase to the point where Sophie began to hope she would pass out from it just so she could escape from it. Just as she was about to call out for someone to help her, to find some way to stop the pain, it stopped. It quickly ebbed away, exhaustion hitting her just a few moments later. _What the…?_

Sophie slowly sat up, confused at what had just happened to her. Her head had been hurting horribly, and then it just stopped. The last time she had checked, migraines didn't do that. They stuck with you for a while until going away completely. Something was up.

A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts, causing her to jump to her feet, which the witch found out wasn't the best of ideas as dizziness overtook her and caused her to lose her balance and fall to the ground rather ungracefully with a loud _thump. _A second later her door was open and Sebastian was by her side, asking her what was wrong.

"Ah, sorry," Sophie smiled, trying to act like nothing was wrong at all. "I just had a dizzy spell, is all."

Sebastian arched an eyebrow at her. "I doubt that was all, Sophie; your cheeks are still covered with tears."

The blue-eyed woman felt her face burn in embarrassment. She hated letting anyone see her cry, and it was just as bad if the person knew she had been crying. Sebastian scooped her up in his arms easily, laying her carefully down on the bed. He then pulled a white handkerchief out of his pocket and began wiping away the tears that had stubbornly clung to Sophie's cheeks, which only caused Sophie's blush to darken a few more shades. A man had never done such things for her, excluding her grandfather who didn't count because he was family. She found Sebastian's actions to be sweet, even if he was only being a gentleman, and couldn't help but start to feel some of her wariness start to fade. How could Sebastian be a demon if he was willing to be nice enough to help her in such a vulnerable state? Surely a demon would take advantage of her, or treat her more roughly. A reaper wouldn't have been very kind to her either. Reapers weren't particularly fond of witches.

Sebastian's lips turned upward into a smirk as he gazed at Sophie's now sleeping form. She was such a naïve child. It was obvious she didn't have much life experience, otherwise she wouldn't have let her guard down so easily around him. She had been right to be wary of him when they first met, but his actions, however small they seemed to him, impacted Sophie's opinion of Sebastian greatly. The young woman wanted very much to believe he was just another human and not a demon or a reaper because if he was either, that meant bad news for the young earl.

The demon shook his head at the witch, being quick about dressing her in a nightgown he found in her suitcase. He still had several things to do in order to prepare for the young master's guest and couldn't waste any time. Tucking the young woman beneath the sheets of her bed, Sebastian smirked one last time at her before leaving the room.

That naiveté could end up being her downfall.

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I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :)

~1000WTBS


	3. Amusement

A/N: Bwaaah~! Another chapter~! Sorry that it's a little short, but I really wanted to get another chapter out for you guys. I would also like to apologize if Sebastian is OOC at all. I'm still working on that.. .

Hope you enjoy reading this~! :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

_A young Sophie Twynam squealed in delight as she was thrown into the air numerous times by her father, Hugh Twynam. The man was playing around with his daughter in the backyard of the house he lived in with his wife Lillian and his daughter, his blue eyes alight with a happiness that could only be rivaled by the young girl in his arms. He feigned dropping the seven-year-old, chuckling as Sophie yelled at him not to drop her._

_"Stop scaring me, Papa! Gosh…" Sophie pouted, acting as if she was upset with her father who gave her an apologetic look._

_"Aw, I'm sorry, Soph…" He frowned for a few seconds before his lips turned up into a sly smile. "I know how to get that smile back…"_

_Hugh then began to assault his daughter's sides with his hands, her giggles becoming full-blown laughter as he continued his tickling. Soon the two were lying side by side, still laughing, but now gazing up at the baby blue sky. Lillian smiled as she caught sight of her husband and their child, carrying a tray with three glasses of lemonade in her hands. The onyx-haired woman joined her family in their cloud-gazing after passing around the glasses and hugged Sophie after the child had climbed into her lap. Sophie grinned happily, feeling at ease with her parents by her side._

_Then things abruptly changed._

_The home she had lived in for ten years of her life was burning, flames licking at the wooden planks greedily and leaving not a place untouched. Her voice hoarse, Sophie cried out, knowing her parents were still inside the house. Why was her house burning? Why weren't her parents outside already? Was that man okay? Was he trapped inside, too?_

_The ten-year-old gazed at her parents graves as their coffins were lowered down inside, barely registering that her grandfather had placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. Tears were rolling down her cheeks that were already red from her rubbing at them constantly. She wanted this all to be a joke, a horrible, cruel joke._

Sophie jerked awake, sitting up immediately and covering her face with her hands. Her dainty body shook with the force of her sobs, and she suddenly felt cold. The tears kept dripping off of her cheeks relentlessly, and it frustrated her. Even after twelve years of living without them, they still brought her to tears.

_Why… why did I dream about them? They haven't been in my dreams for years, so why all of a sudden did I remember all of that? _Sophie felt another migraine forming. _What's wrong with me?_

There was a knock at her door, causing her to hold her breath to keep herself silent. "Sophie? Are you awake?"

It was Sebastian and Sophie vaguely wondered why he was up so early in the morning, if it was even morning. The sun had yet to rise.

She didn't answer him, hoping that if she remained quiet long enough that he would believe she was still asleep and leave. A few minutes passed before she heard the doorknob begin to turn. She laid herself back down, quickly wiping away the brand new tear tracks and feigning sleep the best that she could, forcing herself to breathe slowly and relax her face. She heard the door open, followed by… nothing. Sophie could neither hear nor sense Sebastian in her room. It unsettled her to the point that the butler's earlier actions did nothing to ease her suspicions.

"I know you're awake, Sophie.

Sophie felt her heart skip a beat. She still remained silent, trying her best to calm her racing heart. Sebastian sighed, finding the young woman's actions slightly irritating. Why was she pretending to be asleep when he very well knew that she wasn't? He had heard her crying as he passed by her room and merely wanted to check on her. It would give the demon a chance to find out the cause of her earlier state when he had first visited her in her room.

Sebastian just thought for a moment. What could he do that would force the brunette to reveal she was awake? Several thoughts (all rather wicked) crossed his mind, but he decided against those; if he did any of that, he just might give her a heart attack. Sebastian smirked at the thought.

How fun it would be to see this child squirm.

The crimson-eyed butler placed one gloved hand gently against the side of Sophie's face. Still she refused to reveal she was awake, even though she felt extremely uncomfortable and uneasy, not to mention embarrassed. Could Sebastian tell she had been crying even though light was scarce in the room?

Smirking at her stubbornness, Sebastian then softly blew into the young witch's ear.

"WAAAAH!"

Sophie jerked upright, her hands cradling her ear as she yelped in surprise. She knew her face was red, not from crying, but from being flustered. _Did Sebastian just blow into my ear? Did he really just do that?_ An amused chuckle rang out in the room.

Yes, yes he did.

"W-what was that for?"

"Well, my dear maid," Sebastian gave her an amused, sly smile. "You would not reveal that you were awake."

"So you _blew into my ear?_ Have you ever heard of personal space, Sebastian?"

He only continued to smile. This little human was rather fun for him to tease.

Sophie sighed, hoping the darkness that shrouded her room would mask her red cheeks. "Anyways, I didn't want you to know I was awake."

"But you knew that I knew that you were awake. There wasn't any point in trying to act."

"Well…" Sophie smiled sheepishly. "I kind of hoped you would give up and leave."

"What kind of butler would I be if I left one of my maids in such a distraught state?"

The young witch felt her heart drop. So he _did _know that she had been crying. "Um… Thank you for caring. I'm fine, though, really." _Liar, liar, pants on fire._

Sebastian arched an eyebrow at her the second, and surely not the last, time. "I could hear you from all the way down the hall, Sophie." She was an odd thing, trying to hide her feelings from him.

"I…" The blue-eyed woman sighed. "I just had a bad dream, is all. I haven't had one like it for some time, so I took it a little hard. I'm fine now." _My migraine…_ Sophie hid her surprise. _It's gone. That's weird… It doesn't ever go away like that._

Though Sebastian wasn't convinced she was alright completely, he didn't press her. He realized that Sophie, though naïve, wasn't one to reveal how she honestly felt. Trying to coax any information out of her at this point would be fruitless, so instead he nodded, giving her a kind smile.

"I'm glad, then. You should probably go back to sleep; it's three o'clock right now and you don't need to wake up for a few more hours."

Sophie nodded, deciding not to question why he was up at three o'clock in the morning. She felt she didn't have a right to question him when she wasn't allowing him to question her. The brunette lay down again, snuggling underneath her blankets when a sudden realization hit her.

Sebastian was just about to leave the room when he heard Sophie speak, her voice strangely calm. "Um, Sebastian? How did I end up in my nightgown?"

He only managed to give her a sly smile before he had to leave the room, not caring to be pummeled by a bunch of books the day of the young master's guest's arrival. The demon chuckled, his body shaking with his mirth.

Ah, yes, this maid would be very amusing.

* * *

Someone wanted to know why Sophie carried that book around with her even though it may be troublesome. The answer is that it has great sentimental value to her because it was the last thing her parents gave her before they died. She can't part with it. Just a little special detail I decided her character would have. :)

I think there was another question, but I can't remember right now so I apologize for not answering it, but I shall answer it next chapter!

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) Buh Bye~1

~1000WTBS


	4. Trying

A/N: Another chapter, oh yeah~! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and alerted! It makes me really happy to see people are enjoying this story. ^_^ I think this chapter is kind of short again, but I wanted it out! And it's mostly fluff, I suppose you could say~

I apologize ahead of time if Sebastian is OOC! Like I said before, I'm still getting the hang of his character.

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

_I can't believe that… that little devil!_

Sophie huffed, twisting about beneath the sheets of her bed, attempting to make herself comfortable, but to no avail. The newly gained information about how exactly she had managed to get into her nightgown wouldn't stop swirling around in her mind. She felt embarrassed, violated, and extremely self-conscious. How could he do such a thing? Sebastian was a man, a _full grown_ man, not an innocent child or a girl. He was of the opposite gender and probably around Sophie's age, if not a bit older. He was a butler, educated on society and proper etiquette.

How the Heck did dressing women fit into that?

Sophie felt furious at the butler, too. Sebastian hadn't even taken into account how she may have felt being dressed by someone who was practically a stranger to her. She probably would have left it alone if he had had Mey-Rin dress her, but no, that little devil of a butler had to dress her himself.

Taking a deep breath, Sophie contemplated a new thought. What if he had only been teasing her? He hadn't said outright that _he _had been the one to dress her, and Sebastian did give her the impression that he enjoyed teasing people… _Gosh, _Sophie turned onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. _Now I kind of feel bad for Sebastian. If he didn't actually dress me, then that means I attacked him with my books for no reason._

The brunette then decided that she would apologize to Sebastian… If he didn't actually dress her. If he had…

She blinked. What _would _she do if he had dressed her himself? The young witch had never been so angry at a person, other than her grandfather on occasion, so she wasn't quite sure how to react in this situation? Should she slap him? Demand an apology? Make a big scene about it? Okay, no way would she make a big scene; Sophie didn't like that sort of thing. She didn't care for getting physical, either.

_I'll demand that he apologize, then, _Sophie sighed. _But I really hope he _was _just teasing me…_

~HMW~

Later that morning Sophie found herself in the now spotless kitchen, smiling at her handiwork. The blue-eyed maid had scrubbed for hours on end until her arms were throbbing with pain. She had worked really hard to get every bit of charred food and speck of soot off.

Yawning, she took out some eggs and a pan, deciding that she would make herself some fried eggs before seeing what needed to be done around the manor. Her grandfather used to remind her constantly to never miss breakfast unless she wanted to crash before she could make it to lunch, and after several crashes, she began to listen to him. Eggs were the easiest thing to cook (she didn't dare to try cooking bacon), and she didn't feel like doing anything elaborate that morning because she still felt drained from the migraine and nightmare.

Two chocolate eyebrows furrowed as Sophie thought about her dream. Why had she suddenly dreamed about all of that? They were memories she had tried to bury away deeply, but now they had reemerged out of the blue. They did her no good; they told her nothing. She knew her parents hadn't died in the fire. That much she had managed to squeeze out of her grandfather. She had no idea who the man was that had come to visit her parents, no matter how hard she tried to remember. It was like something was blocking her from the memory -

"Good morning, Sophie."

Sophie gave a yelp of surprise, nearly burning herself. She placed a hand over her pounding heart in an attempt to calm herself. Was Sebastian _trying _to give her a heart attack? And how the Heck was he managing to sneak up on her so easily?

"G-good morning, Sebastian. How are you?"

Sebastian smiled. "I'm well. And yourself?" Sophie couldn't quite place where he was, only that he was behind her.

"I'm alright. A bit tired, but alright."

Sophie, finished with cooking the eggs, placed the two eggs on a plate, grabbing a fork and placing it all on the countertop. She sighed, gathering all the courage she could muster, and turned around only to be met by a chest.

A chest that belonged to Sebastian.

The brunette gasped slightly, jerking backwards and nearly tripping over her own two feet, but luckily (or unluckily, as Sophie felt) Sebastian managed to catch her around the waist. A blush immediately dusted the witch's cheeks.

The demon smiled teasingly while raising one eyebrow. "Are you alright, Sophie? Your face is a little red. Perhaps you're coming down with something."

His hands felt like fire on her middle. Oddly enough, Sophie sort of… liked it? "I-I'm quite fine, thank you. I'm just a tad warm, is all. I _was _just cooking."

"Ah, I see," Sebastian, smirking now, pulled Sophie up so that she was standing up right rather than leaning, but now she felt even _more _uncomfortable. Her and Sebastian's chests were in such close vicinity that they were nearly touching. Sophie had never been so close to a man before. "Well, _do _try to be a little more careful, my dear maid."

Then Sebastian was gone, leaving Sophie completely at a loss for words.

_Dang it, _The witch shakily grabbed her plate. _I never did ask him about the nightgown matter._

Sebastian headed over to his young master's bedroom, all the way smiling at the recent events. He found Sophie to be an amusing young woman. Her feelings were obvious from her reactions, yet she tried her hardest not to admit her true thoughts. Her actions were completely futile, but she never ceased trying. It was both an admirable and possibly an annoying trait, depending on the timing. Sebastian looked forward to teasing her again.

_I wonder how she'll react when she realizes she was only in her nightgown._

* * *

Okay, so a review said asked about how she knew demons were harder to detect, saying that she had to of met one before. As far as Sophie knows, she hasn't ever met a demon before; she only knows that they're hard to sense because her grandfather told her all about demons and reapers when she was staying with him. Hope that cleared things up! :)

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) Adieu~!

~1000WTBS


	5. A Guest, pt 1

A/N: Here another update my lovely readers~! Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I really appreciate them! :)

Enjoy~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

The young Twynam witch had just finished scrubbing down another china plate when Mey-Rin ran in, tripping over nothing and face planting.

"Oh my gosh, Mey-Rin!" Sophie dropped down to help the redhead. "Are you alright?"

"Ah, I'm fine, yes I am! But Sophie, you have to come outside!"

After helping Mey-Rin to stand up, Sophie cocked her head to the side. "Why? Did something happen again?"

"Well," Mey-Rin patted at her dress, getting ride of any dust. "The young master doesn't want to do his school work, you see. He has this professional martial artist or something to fight Sebastian. If Sebastian loses, he doesn't have to do his lessons."

Sophie furrowed her eyebrows. As much as she was upset with Sebastian, she didn't want to see him get hurt, and this whole thing over schoolwork? She found it ridiculous. As a child, the twenty-two-year-old was always asking more to do because she was so curious about everything. Then again, Sophie did recall only feeling this way towards things associated with magic…

The brunette followed the redhead, gripping the book she held tightly in her hands. She still doubted Sebastian being a demon or a reaper, so she was slightly concerned for him. Were butlers trained in combat? Sophie was pretty sure that they weren't. She hoped that she could do something to stop the fight.

By the time the two girls arrived outside, though, it was obvious that Sebastian wasn't having any problems defending himself against the martial artist. It was also obvious that the Asian man was becoming increasingly frustrated and astonished that Sebastian was holding his own. Everyone, including Sophie, could only watch in awe as butler deflected attack after attack and managed to land quite a few of his own blows. Soon the fight had ended, Sebastian being the winner, meaning…

"And that's how it is, young master. Because I won," Sebastian was smiling pleasantly with his eyes closed. "Please do today's lesson and tomorrow's pre-lesson."

Ciel was obviously upset that he would have to do his school work. Sophie smiled herself, glad that Sebastian had won; she hadn't liked the idea of him getting hurt at all.

That thought caused her to freeze and think about what she had just thought. Did she just say she didn't like the idea of him getting hurt? _Really? He's teased me and acted inappropriately and I _don't like the idea of him getting hurt? _What's up with that? I should _want_ him to get hurt!_

The others (Bard, Finnian, and Mey-Rin, everyone that Sophie had met yesterday) were cheering, praising Sebastian for being such a great fighter and being so amazing. Sophie had to admit that it _had _been pretty amazing to see, but she was still upset with him. _The little devil… Didn't even tell me I still had my nightgown on this morning!_

Sebastian set down the drink Ciel had handed to him, turning towards the group of cheering/(silently) ranting servants." By the way, what are all of you doing here?"

Everyone froze as if they had been caught in the act of stealing a cookie right before dinner. Sophie immediately thought back to the work they were all supposed to be doing at that moment, and knew immediately what was coming. The question was, how was Sebastian going to go about it?

"Finni, have you finished weeding the courtyard? Mey-Rin, how are the shirts in the laundry? Bard, are dinner preparations going as they should? Sophie, did you finish cleaning the china?"

The questions were rhetorical, yet everyone tried to give an answer, though none were actual answers. No one had finished the chores that had been assigned to them, and yet here they were watching a fight when they should be working.

"If you have time to loaf around, then please do your jobs!"

It was as if Sebastian had suddenly become a monster as everyone ran towards the house to escape him. Sophie could swear she saw his crimson eyes turn magenta for a split second as he yelled at them. However, she didn't care to stay and observe more closely for fear that something bad would happen to her if she dared to neglect her duties as a maid any longer.

Wiping off the last plate, Sophie smiled happily, glad to be finished. She wondered if she was the only one done with her task; she had gotten up earlier than everyone else, excluding Sebastian who apparently woke up before three o'clock in the morning. Sophie shook her head to rid herself of thoughts about the evil butler and began gathering the plates up to put them in a cart when Sebastian appeared beside her, nearly giving her a heart attack once again.

She bit back the urge to ask him if he was trying to kill her and smiled politely instead. "Yes, Sebastian? May I help you?"

Even though she hadn't said anything to reveal how she truly felt, he still looked amused. "The young master is requesting that you come to see him."

Sophie couldn't help the look of surprise that graced her features. "Oh? Alright, let me just set these down…" She placed the plates down on the cart before turning to face the demon with a happy smile. "Okay! Just lead the way, Sebastian."

The two servants made their way down a few hallways, both observing the other. Sophie was still trying to figure out why she wasn't able to sense him and trying to decide if she should wait to ask about the whole nightgown thing or not. The brunette would cast occasional glances over at the butler in an attempt to find anything unusual about him. Of course, she came up empty handed.

Sebastian knew that she was sizing him up and trying to figure out why he seemed to elude her advanced senses. Though Sophie probably had no idea, both Sebastian and Ciel knew all about her abilities as a witch. They had heard rumors about the young woman and her grandfather during their stay in the small town, and Ciel had decided to investigate it later after they were done with their business there. However, Ciel never had to because the very morning they were going to look into it, Sophie served him as a replacement for Sebastian. The butler found it a bit odd how fond Ciel seemed to be of the young witch just after that first meeting, but also amusing to a degree. Perhaps his young master had developed a crush.

It didn't take long for the butler and maid to arrive at Ciel's study. The young earl was sitting at his desk, looking over papers. The two approached his desk, both having pleasant looks on their faces.

"You wanted to see me, young master?"

Ciel finally looked up, setting down a paper he had been reading over. "Ah, yes. I'm hungry. I want something sweet, like one of those pastries you made before."

Sophie blinked a few times. "But you'll spoil your dinner, my lord."

"It's fine, so make some." Ciel's face remained blank.

The young witch sighed. "Alright…"

Sebastian was about to step in and say something until she continued.

"I just feel bad for Bard and the others. I heard them talking about working really hard to impress you and Sebastian this time. How bad Bard shall feel when he finds that his young master has barely touched his meal that he worked _so _hard on…"

The demon butler nearly grinned. So she was using guilt to get the young master to agree to no sweets before dinner… _How clever._

Ciel's poker face seemed to begin to fail him, his eye twitching slightly. This woman was seriously trying to make him feel guilty… and she was actually managing to succeed in doing so. "I suppose I could wait…"

Sophie instantly smiled, and it wasn't the kind of smile she used to hide her true thoughts. It was a real one. _I'm glad to know that he isn't one of those fellows who could care less about his servants. _The young witch then clapped her hands. "Alright, how about this, young master? Either for dessert or breakfast I shall prepare any sweet that you desire. Though keep in mind that if it is for breakfast, it must be a sweet that counts as a breakfast food, so nothing like cake."

Ciel nodded, a light pink dusting his cheeks momentarily before disappearing just as fast as it appeared, though Sebastian noticed it all the same. "That sounds fair enough, I suppose. I would like you to prepare those Danishes you cooked that one morning for me, if you wouldn't mind."

"Not at all, young master." Sophie smiled, curtsied, and dismissed herself, explaining that she still had things to prepare before the guest arrived. Sebastian waited until he was sure she was far away enough not to hear him to begin teasing the young earl.

"My, my, young master. I don't believe I have ever seen you act in such a manner towards a woman. Was that a blush I spotted when she smiled earlier?"

The blush reappeared, only this time you could actually tell. "Shut up, Sebastian. That's an order."

The demon smirked, folding his arm across his chest. "Yes, my lord."

Meanwhile, Sophie had managed to discover how the kitchen had gotten into such a horrible state before. Apparently no one had ever taught Bard how to cook food properly because right now he was about to try to cook the meat with a flame thrower. _How did he even _get _one of those? Ah! My dishes! _

Sophie hastily dashed over to the cart containing the delicate plates and pushed it away from harm just in time. Obviously Bard was too concentrated on getting the meat cooked to realize she had entered the room and that he had nearly ended up barbecuing her, too. Sophie picked up her book from where she had set down on the cart and covered her face with her arm, rushing out of the kitchen. The brunette couldn't risk having an asthma attack, especially when her grandfather wasn't around.

In her haste Sophie failed to realize another person had been trying to come in the way she had been trying to come out of and ended up running right into the person. The young witch thought for sure she was going to end up falling down, but two arms snaked themselves around her waist, securing her there comfortably. A familiar fire seemed to ignite where the arms were touching her waist, and blue eyes flew open in shock and realization. Sebastian was smiling rather mischievously down at her, one eyebrow cocked in question, as per usual. A blush slowly crept its way onto Sophie's face, turning her face a delightful shade of pink. This only caused Sebastian's smile to widen. Oh, how amusing it was to see this young woman blush.

Smoke entering her lungs and irritating them brought Sophie crashing back from her mild shock. She immediately began coughing, a horrible sound coming forth from her mouth that caused Sebastian to look at her worriedly. Deciding it was best if she got as far away from the smoke as she could, he sent her outside, leaving him alone to deal with the mess Bard had caused… again.

Sophie hadn't wasted any time in making her way outside as fast as she possibly could. The fresh air helped to calm her breathing, and she thanked the Lord that she had only inhaled enough smoke to cause her to cough and not to have an attack. The blue-eyed twenty-two-year-old wasn't sure how she would fare without any magic to help.

When she finally calmed herself enough to take a look around at her surroundings, what she saw astonished her. How had this happened? It had been perfectly fine earlier today!

The backyard of the manor was completely dead.

She found Finnian, weed killer strapped to his back, fretting over the yard, not quite sure what to do that it was all dead. Sophie would have probably laughed at the blonde boy because he looked rather funny and adorable at the moment, but they were expecting a guest, and this was going to be extremely hard to fix before the guest arrived. The brunette cringed as she faintly heard what sounded to be glass shattering from not too far away, and she wondered if this was caused by Mey-Rin and if she was alright or not. Then she froze, praying that the glass wasn't the plates that she had been a good majority of her day cleaning to perfection. _This isn't looking too good…_

Oh, Sebastian was _not _going to be happy.

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I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) A bientot~!

~1000WTBS


	6. The Guest, pt 2

A/N: Here we are, another update! Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I really appreciate them! :D

Enjoy the chappie~!

Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.

* * *

Just as Sophie had assumed, Sebastian had _not _been happy once he found out the Bard had ruined the meat, Finnian had killed everything in the backyard, and that Mey-Rin had broken the tea set they were going to use. The only thing that had managed to remain untouched were the plates that the young witch had saved from Bard's flamethrower, and Sebastian, even though he was smiling, was far from happy. Sophie, as naïve as she could be, could tell there was a hint of danger in the air as he questioned everyone on what had happened, and everyone else knew it, too. Bard, Finni, and Mey-Rin were all apologizing profusely while Sebastian tried to think of how to solve their predicament.

The brunette actually felt bad for the demon. Everyone seemed to rely on the poor butler so heavily; it had to be rather burdensome at times. She could see why they did so, though. Sebastian was probably the most capable out of everyone in the manor, and so far had proved to be a rather good butler… No matter how inappropriate he could be sometimes.

Just as everyone had expected, though, Sebastian pulled through, shortly coming up with a plan on how to fix everything before the guest arrived. The butler began ordering everyone around, trying to get everything ready as quickly as possible. When it came down to what Sophie's task was, it was rather simple. All she had to do was set the table up once Sebastian had finished preparing the backyard, and until then, the young witch was to simply rest. Sophie didn't mind this too much, but she would have rather been doing something to help Sebastian rather than just sit around for a while.

While Sophie waited in her room, she decided to try using her magic again. The blue-eyed woman would try something easy and small first so that if the spell _did _go wrong, it would have a less disastrous outcome… _I hope._

The witch had brought a cup of water with her to her room and planned to freeze it. It was an easy enough spell, especially with such a small amount of water. Muttering a few words, she concentrated on what she wanted to happen, being very precise in the way she pronounced her words. If she said anything in the wrong way, she could end up changing what the spell was supposed to do.

She watched in disappointment as her water, instead of freezing up, began to boil and steam. After opening her window, Sophie tossed the water outside and laid the cup down on top of the desk in her room. She sighed, upset with herself and with her magic. Why was it doing this? She had never had any problems with her magic before, other than the times when she was sick, and even then it wasn't this bad. When she was sick there was always a possibility that the spell would work. Now she felt like she had no chance of having any control over her magic. Sophie glanced at the cup, and then dropped her head again. _At least it didn't blow up._

There was a knock at her door that caused the young woman to freeze. "Sophie? Sebastian is done with the backyard, yes he is, and needs you to set up the table now."

"Ah, yes! I'll be right out."

Setting the table was probably the easiest thing in the world for Sophie to do. She was done within five minutes; it was only the young master and his guest dining, after all. With the time she had left to spare, her blue orbs gazed around at the backyard, scrutinizing every detail. Sebastian had done a bang up job. He had constructed a traditional Japanese rock garden and had planted numerous irises. Sophie found it rather simple and pretty.

It took her a second to realize that the irises shouldn't be in bloom. Sophie remembered Sebastian telling Finnian to purchase iris _seeds, _not the flowers themselves, so how were they already in bloom? She wasn't sure about reapers, but she was sure Sebastian could pull off such a thing if he was a demon, or even if he was a wizard-

Her eyes widened in realization. _I never even considered the option of him being a wizard. He if was a strong enough wizard, he could easily hide his presence from me. _

Then she shook the thoughts away once again. Finnian had probably just gotten the flowers because he realized seeds would do no good when their guest was arriving that day. Sebastian had probably been mistaken when he told Finnian to get seeds instead of flowers. She was only over thinking everything again.

Then again, Sebastian wasn't one for making mistakes, was he?

"Sophie,"

"GAAH!" Sophie's hands flew up to clutch at her racing heart.

Hearing an amused chuckle, she whipped around to find Sebastian wearing his usual mirth-filled smile and tried her hardest not to glare at the laughing butler. _Is he _trying _to kill me?_

"Yes, Sebastian?"

"The guest has just arrived. You need to come to greet him."

"Of course," She smiled brightly, effectively covering up her annoyance at the demon… In her eyes, at least.

Sebastian wondered if he had been some ordinary human if he would fall for her façade. He had to admit that Sophie had a wonderful talent for covering up her feelings, which, no doubt, meant she was an amazing liar as well. This thought made him wonder if the back story she had told him when she first arrived was completely true; did she have something to hide? So far he hadn't been able to dig up anything about her other than her parents died in a fire when she was ten. Did she really have no other family besides her grandfather?

"**Welcome, Sir Clause**!"

Everyone stood in two rows, Tanaka heading the row that consisted of Sophie and Mey-Rin. Across from them stood Sebastian, Finnian, and Bardroy, and every servant bowed respectfully before Sir Clause, wanting to make the best impression possible and make sure he felt welcome. The older man gazed around in wonder at the manor, commenting on how beautiful it was now and greeting Sebastian once he had spotted the butler. After allowing Finni to take his jacket and hat, Sebastian showed him to the courtyard that had been cleverly made into something attractive. The beauty seemed to please the Italian man even more than the state of the manor had as he said a few words in Italian to describe it.

Sophie smiled, happy to see everything was running smoothly so far. Sir Clause adored the Japanese concept that Sebastian had managed to conjure up. She silently stood off to the side in case she should be called for, letting her own thoughts wander as Ciel and Clause began to talk of things that didn't much interest her. The maid finally began to pay attention after Sebastian began explaining what donburi was, and even then she soon lost her focus. A headache was slowly beginning to make its way through her skull, clouding her mind and making it hard for her to think. _No, not now. We have a guest…_

The pain was getting worse, and just at that moment, Sebastian spoke about the wine, giving her the queue to pour Sir Clause a glass of said wine. Putting on a polite smile to mask the throbbing pain in her cranium, she carefully picked up the bottle and walked over to where the Italian man sat, slightly swaying because of her headache. The pain had become so immense by the time she had reached Clause's seat, that her vision was doubled, which only made her task all the more difficult. She hesitantly reached out for the wine glass, lightly grasping it in her hand after missing first, and tilted the wine bottle.

None of this went unnoticed by the demon. He immediately noticed how out of it Sophie seemed and how she seemed to be in some sort of pain by the way her brow slightly furrowed when Ciel and Clause weren't looking. Her disorientation made him nervous. Honestly, he did worry for her well-being, but he was mostly concerned about making it through the evening without a mishap, so when she began to pour the wine, he made sure he prepared himself for whatever happened.

Sophie nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she realized she hadn't missed the glass. _Thank goodness. _Placing the glass back on the table in front of Sir Clause, she slightly bowed her head out of respect, giving another polite smile, and went back to her previous spot on Ciel's right. The brunette resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and cry; the pain had become excruciating at this point, and she encouraged time to speed up and let her get to bed more quickly. The young witch made sure no one was able to tell she was in pain, though, because the last thing Sophie wanted was to draw the attention to her. A pretty smile remained on youthful her face the whole time.

"Oh, Miss, would you mind filling my glass once more?"

"Of course, Sir Clause." Another deceiving smile. _Why not try to reveal your true feelings for once? This could go sour, Sophie…_

Sebastian almost stepped in to take care of the task himself, but Sophie, for a second, had managed to convince even Sebastian that she was perfectly fine. Only when the woman reached for the glass and missed a few times before grasping it did he realize she was still the same as before, if not worse. The butler concentrated on Sophie's hands, willing them not to mess up and miss the glass while pouring. All the servants and even Ciel who had also noticed Sophie's odd behavior were holding their breath as she went to pour the wine. The only one that was completely oblivious was Sir Clause himself who was speaking happily with Ciel.

_Please land in the cup. _Please_ land in the cup!_

It didn't land in the cup.

Everyone froze, beginning to freak out. All that hard work, wasted! All over some spilled wine! Sophie quickly fixed the bottle so that the wine filled the glass and just stood there after it had finished. She had no idea what to do; what _could _she do? If her magic had been functioning correctly she simply could have muttered a quick reversal spell or something like that to fix the mistake she made, but her magic was still being a pain in the neck and didn't want to work for her. She felt useless, helpless, in the situation she had caused, and the witch felt absolutely horrible. Everything was ruined because of her.

Or so she thought until Sebastian, being the amazing butler that he was, pulled the table cloth right off the table without doing anymore than slightly moving the objects present on the table. Not missing a beat, Sophie placed the full wine glass back in front of Clause and swayed back to where she was previously positioned once more. The headache had been bad before, but now it was downright _unbearable._

"Huh? Where'd the table cloth go?"

This man's boisterous voice certainly wasn't helping, either.

"Sophie, why don't you go ahead and retire for today? I can handle it from here."

Sophie nodded, not trusting herself to speak when she was in so much pain, and gave a quick smile in appreciation before beginning to walk away. Sebastian grabbed her wrist before she got too far, though, and continued. "We will speak about what happened later."

And then he released her, allowing her to hurry to her room where she collapsed almost immediately the moment she entered. The pain these headaches were causing was becoming worse each time she had one. _Just what is causing this to happen to me? It has to be linked to my magic somehow; it only began after my magic started acting weirdly._

However, those were the last of her comprehensible thoughts before the pain became too much for her as she lay curled in a ball on the floor beside her bed. The brunette didn't even register a certain butler knocking on her door several times, and then entering her room when she failed to answer him. She vaguely registered being picked up and placed on the bed and something cool and damp being placed on her forehead, but nothing else really got through to her. The pain blocked nearly everything else out.

When he had entered her room, Sebastian had to admit he found himself a little worried over the young maid. She usually seemed so lively and perfectly healthy that the sudden change in her was a bit of a shock. Now the witch looked so fragile, so vulnerable… So _weak_.

_The state she is in doesn't suit her at all. _Sebastian thought with disdain as he placed a cloth in cool water, squeezed the excess water out, and placed it back on Sophie's forehead. Tears wouldn't stop flowing down her pale cheeks, and the demon found himself pulling out a handkerchief to wipe them away the best he paused for a moment, realizing he himself had started to form a bit of fondness for the woman, otherwise he wouldn't be acting so kindly towards her. He then dismissed the thought, deciding it was only the amusement that she brought him that was fueling him to be so kind to her. After all, she was the first of the servants that only amused him and didn't annoy him, though the spilling of the wine _had_ irked him. She also hadn't been here very long, so Sophie still had time to do something to irritate, but for the meantime, she was in good standing. _Let us hope it remains that way. _

Cerulean pools began to slowly make themselves visible, causing Sebastian to smile slightly. As they adjusted to the light in the room, they searched around in confusion before settling on Sebastian and widening slightly in surprise.

"Wha? Sebastian, what're you-"

And then her cheeks were tinted a light pink as she seemed to either recall or realize something, which only made the butler smile wider in amusement. Her face was adorable when she was embarrassed; it almost reminded him of a kitten. Perhaps that was why he had already become so fond of Sophie.

"Sophie," Sebastian's face became serious, no trace of mirth present any longer. 'Would you like to explain what is going on? It seems you were in such pain that you collapsed before you even reached the bed. You have everyone worried."

"Well, I…" Sophie hesitated, glancing up and catching his gaze, rubies meeting sapphires. Sebastian could tell she was contemplating telling him the truth or feeding him a lie, and though her stubborn and secretive ways were only an annoyance right now, he was rather happy to see her acting in her usual manner.

_Now this state suits her much better._

* * *

**_IMPORTANT!_** Right now I'm following the manga, but I may take certain things from the anime and follow them (like the arc with Pluto). What would you guys perfer, though?

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) Ja ne~!

~1000WTBS


	7. Shiver

**A/N: Here we are, another update! Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I really appreciate them! :D**

**I apologize for the wait, but I had writer's block for a bit... . Luckily it left once I gave it some time and found some good music to write to again! And sorry this chapter is a bit short, but I wanted to get something out to you guys and didn't want to begin the next part of the story in this chapter. I'm still trying to decide whether to follow the manga or the anime, though, so please tell me what you think! :) **

**Without further adieu, here's the next chapter of His Maid, Witchly~!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.**

* * *

When Sophie's headache finally stopped, she was rather confused initially. She wasn't on the floor anymore, and she could feel a damp cloth resting on her forehead and a cloth wiping at her cheeks. Slowly opening her eyes, the brunette searched around the room for a few seconds before coming to stop on the butler that had pulled up a chair beside her bed. He was smiling slightly down at her as Sophie gazed back up in confusion.

"Wha? Sebastian, what're you-"

Then Sophie stopped what she was saying as she realized he had witnessed her being in a vulnerable state and had seen her cry. She could feel her face become warm as Sebastian's smile turned into one of amusement. _Why does it seem like he's always catching me at a bad time? Why can't I, for once, be found by Mey-Rin? Or even Finny or Bard? Heck, even Tanaka would be okay!_

"Sophie," Sebastian paused as he gazed at Sophie who was currently looking anywhere but him. She glanced quickly over at the demon and was shocked to see him completely serious. "Would you like to explain what is going on? It seems you were in such pain that you collapsed before you even reached the bed. You have everyone worried."

"Well, I…" Sophie trailed off, contemplating whether to tell the man before her the truth or not. It was only her second day of work and she didn't want to start causing trouble for her employer already. Health issues could be troublesome; perhaps she should keep the headaches' frequency to herself.

Then again, what if these headaches never stopped? What if they were completely unrelated to magic? What if the headaches were linked to a serious health issue? Maybe she needed a doctor. What good was she doing her new employer by lying about her condition? No good whatsoever.

But if there was one thing Sophie hated more than anything, it was being a burden to those around her. So, to hopefully avoid having to inform anyone of her troublesome condition, she used her number one foolproof technique.

She pretended to faint.

"I… I-" Her eyes fluttered before she let her body go limp, head tilting to the side and face going completely blank as her eyes shut. Sophie had used this plan so many times that she was about as close as you could get to being an expert fake-fainter. Whenever there was a question a villager asked that would blow her cover, Sophie would suddenly faint, which would only cause the person to panic and completely forget about the question asked. With any luck, the same plan would work on Sebastian.

Sophie could hear the butler sigh, which definitely was _not _the reaction she was expecting. _Shouldn't he be panicking right about now? Rushing to do something to help my condition? Does he dislike me _that_ much?_

"Though your acting skills could rival that of a professional's, you can't fool me, I'm afraid."

The witch forced herself to remain calm, not daring to let up on her little act. Perhaps if she laid there long enough pretending to have fainted, he would really fall for it. The room was completely silent for what seemed like forever to Sophie, unnerving her when she found she still couldn't sense Sebastian's presence._ Maybe it's one of the side effects of my powers acting weirdly; that would explain it. But why can I sense MeyRin and the others, then?_

All previous thoughts were pushed to the back of her mind when she felt a cheek brush against her own, hair tickling her face and body heat mixing in with her own. Sophie still continued her charade, hoping that toughing it out would get her out of this mess.

"I suppose, my little maid, if you have truly fainted," Sophie felt his lips turn up into a smile against her ear. "I'll have to dress you in your nightgown once again."

Blue eyes popped open the moment the words left Sebastian's mouth. They traveled to the left where Sebastian's head was positioned next to hers, his upper body hovering over her and arms trapping her from where they were positioned on both sides of her body. Sebastian's body began to shake with chuckles, finding her wide-eyed look the most amusing face Sophie had put on yet. The poor woman could only lay there in surprise, fright, and confusion. Surprise and fright were there for obvious reasons, but her confusion was caused by the mixed feelings that were jumbling together in her mind.

At one point, she wanted the butler as far away from her as he could be, but on the other, she wanted him to be as close as he could be. There was something that told her to run away, fast as her legs would allow, but then there was something pulling her in, causing her to feel an attraction towards the butler. There had been a lesson her grandfather had taught her that addressed this, and it concerned some creature, but her mind was in no condition to try and remember. Because of Sebastian's close proximity, Sophie could barely remember her own name.

The demon lifted himself away from the frozen witch, still laughing slightly, before he straightened himself out and became serious once more. "Now, Sophie, would you like to shed some light on what it is you're hiding?"

The blue-eyed brunette sighed. _No use in hiding it now._

"I've been having headaches lately, and they're unbearably painful. They've gotten worse as time has gone on and have started to happen much more often. I'm sorry for not informing you or the young master earlier, but I suppose it never crossed my mind due to all of the preparations. I apologize for allowing my condition to cause problems this evening."

Sebastian nodded, taking all of the information in. "I see…" He began to fold up the cloth he had previously wiped her cheeks with. "Because this was your first time with a guest and considering your condition, I won't hold this evening against you. However," The demon butler looked at her with a sternness Sophie wasn't used to seeing directed towards her. "It is unacceptable for a servant of the Phantomhive household to withhold information on his or her wellbeing. You should have spoken up the moment you experienced the first one, perhaps the moment you were offered the job."

"I'm sorry." Sophie spoke in a quiet voice, obviously not used to being scolded.

"Your condition could be serious, Sophie. Do you have any idea what it is besides severe migraines?"

"No."

Sebastian sighed, wondering to himself just why he was acting in such a concerned manner, to a human no less. "You do realize that you have just imposed upon the young master? He can't simply leave his worker be when he is knowledgeable of her condition. Now he will certainly have to have a doctor come down to inspect you."

"Yes, I am, and I'm very sorry for not telling him sooner. I simply didn't want to be a burden." She didn't like informing others of her pain, especially when she didn't think they could do much about it.

The maid, who had positioned herself so that her back rested against the backboard of the bed, hung her head. Now she felt _really _bad about not saying anything to Ciel or Sebastian.

She heard the butler let out another sigh. "I suppose it really can't be helped, though. No use crying over spilled milk, isn't that the saying?"

If Sophie hadn't known better, she would have thought he was trying to make her feel better. "Yes, and again, I'm very sorry."

"Don't worry," Sebastian flashed her a smile, the same one that he always used when he was putting on a happy façade, but seemed to be secretly planning your demise in case you did something wrong. "I'm sure we will find _some_ way to have you make up for it."

She couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine.

* * *

**_IMPORTANT!_** Remember to tell me which you want me to follow: the manga or the anime. Thanks!

**_Also Important!_**A picture of Sophie is on my profile page at the bottom if you wish to see how I imagine her. :) Sorry about the quality because it _was_ a sketch and so there's some proportions off, but it isn't too bad. I actually rather like it~ ^^

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) Vale~!

~1000WTBS


	8. Interesting

**A/N: Here we are, another update! Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I really appreciate them! :D**

**Here's the next chapter~! Sorry for the wait but I was unsure of this chapter for a bit. This is sort of a filler, but an important filler, I guess. I figured I would write out everything dealing with the doctor to give everyone time to put in their final votes for whether I followed the anime or manga (current score - Manga: 6 Anime: 3).**

**Hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.**

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The doctor was sent for the next morning. Sebastian and Ciel waited patiently (or, in Ciel's case, rather _im_patiently) for the doctor to come out of Sophie's room and give them the news. Both were curious as to what it was that was wrong with the young witch.

Dr. Joseph Ringwood, after an hour or so of examining Sophie, stepped out of the maid's room, suitcase in hand.

"Well?" Ciel gazed at the man with one impatient cerulean eye. "What is wrong with her?"

Dr. Ringwood shook his head. "Nothing, it seems. She is as healthy as any young woman can be. What I'm assuming is that these headaches are just ordinary migraines."

This puzzled the young earl and his butler; surely, ordinary migraines wouldn't cause such severe pain.

"Are you sure, Doctor? There wasn't anything out of the ordinary?"

He shook his head, frowning. "Not that I could see, my lord. I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help to you. Now, to treat her migraines…"

Ciel found himself paying little attention to the doctor's instructions, more interested in wondering about the migraines. If it wasn't something physical causing the brutal pains, was it something related to her being a witch? Was she cursed, perhaps? The twelve-year old had only one option, and that would be to speak with Sophie. He had yet to inform her that he knew about her powers, but he also hadn't made it a priority, either. Attending to his business had been much more important when the brunette had arrived.

When the doctor began to look at him expectantly, Ciel realized he hadn't caught a single word of the doctor's. He quickly reacted, thanking Dr. Ringwood for his time and paying him before sending the older man on his way. He didn't let himself worry about the doctor's instructions too much; Sebastian would most likely be the one to take care of it anyway.

The knowing and amused look on said butler's face irked Ciel, causing him to look at the demon in annoyance, silently challenging Sebastian to say something about his lack of attention.

Luckily, Sophie decided to leave her room at that moment.

"Oh, young master," The witch had a look of surprise on her face, which soon turned into one of remorse. "I am terribly sorry for troubling you, my lord. I will gladly accept any punishment you deem fitting for me."

"It's quite alright," He waved off her apology, not concerned with the trouble she had caused. It hadn't been any trouble calling the doctor down, anyway. "But I would like to speak with you, Sophie."

Feeling curious and slightly apprehensive as to what it was the young earl wished to speak about, she followed him into his office, noting Sebastian's presence. A horrible thought struck her. _Oh, dear, what if he scolds me in front of Sebastian? Then again that wouldn't make any sense due to the fact he just said I wasn't in any trouble. _She breathed out a sigh of relief, thinking herself silly for jumping to the worst-case scenario immediately. _What is it he wants to speak about, then? _

There was a short silence in Ciel Phantomhive's office as he situated himself at his desk, Sebastian standing beside him in his usual manner. Sophie forced herself to keep her hands at her sides instead of wringing them like she tended to do whenever she became nervous. Did the blue-eyed boy not know how much he was stressing her out by taking his sweet time?

"We know you're a witch, Sophie."

Said witch's eyes widened in shock for a split second before she masked her shock with confusion. She smiled. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, young master."

Ciel sighed, shifting some papers about. "You have no reason to lie to us. We heard about you when we were in town. It's part of the reason I hired you."

Sophie's eyes immediately became cold and her body tensed. "Is it now?" She attempted to keep her tone polite, but she could easily hear the icy undertone in her words.

Though the young boy had given her the impression of being a good person, Sophie couldn't help the suspicion that took a hold of her once he revealed that he had known all along. Most people weren't crazy about witches, and many of those who were, were bad people who wanted the witches to use their powers for their own selfish wants. Ciel didn't seem like the type, but she had been fooled before, and he _did _have the motive; his parents were dead and he had disappeared for a long time before turning up again after the fire that consumed his family and home. It all seemed a bit shady, and she could only guess that some rather shady people were behind it all. Ciel might want her to use her powers to get revenge.

Sophie wasn't about to lend her services for that purpose.

Sebastian wasn't surprised by Sophie's reaction; of course, she would feel uneasy after finding out her employer knew about her powers all along. Not many people accepted witches for what they were.

"You mustn't feel troubled by our knowledge, Sophie. The young master isn't going to harm you for what you are. Rather, he would like to-"

"Use my powers to help him achieve his goals?" Sophie interrupted, dismissing the fact she wasn't exactly being polite now. "And what goals would I be helping him with, hmm? Taking revenge upon his enemies? I am sorry, but I am not one for using my magic for such things."

"Do you know what you make yourself out to be when you assume things, my dear maid?" Sebastian smirked at the brunette's reddened face.

_Darn that butler._

Ciel's look of surprise at her words quickly turned back into his bored face. "I merely want you to act as a back up for Sebastian. If he isn't around, you fill in for him. There probably won't be many instances for this, but having someone there just in case won't do me any harm."

Sophie calmed herself, relieved now that she knew she wouldn't have to perform any sort of curse or the like. She didn't mind having to fill in for Sebastian at the manor.

_Wait, if I'm filling in for him at the manor when he's not around, then where does my being a witch come into the picture? _Her blue eyes widened in realization. _He must mean for protection!_

"Young master, when you say that I will fill in for Sebastian, what do you mean exactly?"

The young earl leaned his head upon his fist, elbow resting against the arm of his chair. "When Sebastian isn't around to aid me because he is fulfilling another order of mine, you will take his place. You are a witch, so you shouldn't have many problems fending off my enemies."

_Oh, great. _Sophie smiled sheepishly. "Ah, well, the thing is, young master," The brunette chuckled nervously. "My magic, as of late, isn't in proper working condition. I might try to conjure up a shield and end up blowing us all up."

Ciel felt his eye twitch. Had he _really_ hired a servant that had the problem opposite to his current servants? Sophie was a competent maid, but she couldn't use her magic? That would be just his luck.

The butler that stood beside his master nearly began to laugh at the situation at hand. It was all rather ironic, in a way. They had expected the young woman to be a poor maid, but useful in a fight, like the others, yet here Sophie was, practically saying she was useless as a witch right now. It was unexpected, amusing. Another nervous laugh interrupted Sebastian's musings.

"I'm terribly sorry, young master, but I plan to write to my grandfather; he was supposed to look into the matter. Hopefully he will be able to shed some light on my situation."

"Hopefully," Ciel sighed, pulling a pen out and beginning to write on one of the many papers on his desk. "Well, I suppose that is all, Sophie."

The maid nodded, turning to leave when the earl continued. "And if you wouldn't mind, I would like to have those Danishes for my snack."

Sophie smiled happily, curtsying. "Yes, my lord."

_Even if he is the head of the house, _she lightly shook her head. _He's still a child._

~HMW~

_Dear Grandpa,_

_I wanted to let you know that I'm doing just fine at my new job. I thought I might come to hate it because of all the work involved, but it isn't all that bad. Daily chores are pretty easy to finish up - it's the days when we have a guest coming over that tend to be troublesome. The other workers, though a little hopeless as servants, make great company, too, so I don't find myself bored very often._

_MeyRin is the other maid of the household and she is incredibly clumsy. I think it's an entertaining and somewhat cute trait of hers, even if it does cause her to break our dishes more often than not. I think the two of us can grow to be good friends; she reminds me of mother due to her love of horror, and MeyRin never fails to make me laugh. She's a nice girl._

_Bardroy, or just Bard, is the manor's cook, though I'm pretty sure he would do much better as a hired gun. He tends to attempt to cook the meals by using weaponry (nearly burned me alive the first time I experience his methods!), and there's almost always some kind of explosion. Even so, he is a good man._

_Finnian is the gardener, and he really does love the work because he has a love for the outside, but it he, unfortunately, doesn't have much talent for gardening. I always feel bad for the kid because it seems to really tear him apart when he realizes that he's gone and ruined the garden. He really is a sweet heart, but Finny simply doesn't know his own strength, nor does he remember well. I really just want to hug him sometimes and tell him that it's okay, but that would be very awkward. And weird._

_Our house steward is Tanaka, an elderly man that apparently has two forms. He is usually in a smaller version of himself that doesn't do much more than drink tea, but when his real self appears, Tanaka is a very nice man and intelligent, too. He sometimes reminds me of you, Grandpa._

_You have already met Sebastian and Ciel, so I'm assuming I mustn't go into much detail about them. I will say, though, the two are much different from how I expected them to be. In some aspects, it's a good thing, but in others, I'm not quite so sure…_

_Don't worry yourself about that, though! What I would like you to worry yourself with is the matter of my powers acting abnormally and these headaches I have been having lately. Have you figured out what is wrong with my magic? And regarding the headaches, they have been going on for a little while. I never spoke to you about it before because they weren't so bad at first and I didn't want to worry you. Now the pain is to the point where it has caused me to pass out from it. The doctor says I'm as healthy as I can be for my age, and that they might just be migraines, but I doubt migraines can do that to a person. I wanted to know if you thought it might be related to my magic._

_I hope you are doing well without me, Grandpa (especially now that all the housework is up to you). If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to call or write for me, okay? I'm positive that the earl could do without me for a few days if you needed me enough. Oh, and how is little LuLu doing? Does she miss me? I certainly miss her; now I have no one to cuddle up with at night… Don't forget to let her out of the house every morning! She'll become antsy and destructive if you don't._

_Love you dearly,_

_Sophie_

"There we go! All done." Sophie smiled happily as she sealed her letter inside of an envelope, making sure that it was sealed tightly. She quickly scribbled her old address on the front of it, setting her pen and the envelope down on the desk after she had finished. The brunette intended to give it to Sebastian so that he could take it to the post office tomorrow; he and Ciel would be in town anyways to collect Ciel's new cane (Finny, the poor lad, had accidentally broken Ciel's old one.).

A sudden wave of homesickness hit Sophie as she thought of her grandfather and her little cat, wondering if they were doing alright by themselves. If she could have, she would have brought the two with her without a second thought, but, of course, that wasn't allowed. The only thing she had to remind herself what her grandfather looked like was a picture of the two of them smiling as they ate outside of her grandfather's home that she had stuffed between the pages of her spellboo-

_Oh, no, _Sophie swerved her head about her room, trying to see where her book was. _Where did I put it? It's not in here! _Attempting to calm herself, she took a deep breath. _Okay, don't panic, Sophie. Just try to recall where you had it last. _

The guest came over. She had it tucked between the strap of her apron that wrapped around her waist and her dress. They headed outside. She placed the book down on the cart that the wine rested on. She went to pour the wine. The book remained on the cart. She poured the wine a second and time and had to leave. She grabbed - No, she didn't grab it when she left.

_Oh, great! I left it on the cart!_

Sophie didn't take long in heading out of her room to speak with the others and see if they knew where her book had ended up. Unfortunately, no one seemed to know what had happened to the little book that was of so much value to the young witch, which led her to asking the one person she didn't really want to about it.

"Sebastian," She cleared her throat, shifting nervously. "Do you happen to know what happened to a book that was placed on the cart that held the wine?"

"Ah, you mean the book that was placed there without permission," The demon smiled almost gleefully as Sophie squirmed at the jab. "Yes, I do know."

A few moments of silence passed between the two as Sebastian continued to dust off shelves in one of the many rooms inside of the manor. Sophie shifted nervously again. "Well, are you going to tell me? It holds great sentimental value to me, and I would very much like it back."

"I shall," He paused, checking to see if the dust was completely dust free before turning to face Sophie. "In exchange for some information."

The brunette refrained from rolling her eyes at Sebastian's request. Why did there have to be a catch? Why couldn't he simply do her a favor and give her the book back?

Ah, yes. It was because Sebastian Michaelis enjoyed bothering her immensely.

"Alright, what is it you wish to know?"

"Have you sensed anything… peculiar since you have been here?"

His smirk told her that he probably already knew the answer. "Yes, I have, or rather, I haven't. For whatever reason, I can't seem to sense your presence no matter how hard I try, Sebastian."

"Why is that, my dear maid?"

_When did he get so close? _"I have come to the conclusion that it is because of the state of my magic. It must be messing with my senses as well."

Sebastian leaned forward, and Sophie wanted to move away, but the same conflicting feelings stopped her. Her body kept her still, wanting to be closer to him, but at the same time, her body was screaming at her to run away. What was going on with her? Why were these feelings sprouting up? What was this attraction and unexplained fear?

"Shall I tell you the _real _reason you cannot sense me? The reason why you can't seem to step away from me even though you want to?"

Sebastian leaned farther until his lips were beside Sophie's ear, barely brushing against it. The brunette's breath hitched, her face slowly beginning to heat up. Sebastian was so close to her, and she actually wanted him to be, but why did she feel like it was wrong for him to be so close to her? _It's all just physical attraction. I've never been close with a man, and so I'm jumping for the best opportunity. That must be the reason I'm acting like this. _However, it didn't seem to fit very well because she had similar encounters with Finny and Bard, though not done in this manner. She had received a hug from Finny and an arm around the shoulders from Bard, yet she didn't react like this. Sophie dismissed the thoughts, instead concentrating on willing her stubborn body to move.

_Come on! This isn't right; a man and a woman shouldn't be so close like this unless they are in love, and Sebastian and I certainly are not! _She closed her eyes, brown furrowed in discomfort and concentration._ Come one, body, _move!

The maid surprised both herself and Sebastian by taking two steps back. Quickly recovering, Sophie gave a polite, strained smile.

"Actually, I would rather try to figure it out on my own, but thank you anyways, Sebastian. Now, the location of my book?"

The butler smiled, though he was rather surprised that Sophie had managed to resist his pull. He pointed out the book that he had placed on the large rectangular table in the room, almost laughing as her brown noticeably twitched, no doubt at her lack of observational skills. Sebastian then sent her on her way, ordering her to assist MeyRin in mopping the floors on the ground level of the manor.

That maid… She certainly was an interesting woman.

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**_IMPORTANT!_** Remember to tell me which you want me to follow: the manga or the anime. The score is Manga: 6 Anime: 3 Thanks!

**_Also Important!_ **A picture of Sophie is on my profile page at the bottom if you wish to see how I imagine her. :) Sorry about the quality because it _was_ a sketch and so there's some proportions off, but it isn't too bad. I actually rather like it~ ^^

**ALSO!** The fabulous Ms. iquanablogger has drawn an awesome picture of Sophie that I have also posted at the bottom of my profile page. Thanks again, iguanablogger, for the art! And everyone should go check her stuff out; it's pretty good! :)

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) Vale~!

~1000WTBS


	9. Temptation

**A/N: Here we are, another update! Thank you very much for all the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I really appreciate them! :D**

**Oh my goodness, I am so, so, so, SO sorry for not updating for a whole month! Writer's block was a major part of it. I just couldn't find the right words for the longest time! It was so frustrating! But the chapter is here now and has a nice little moment in it that will continue next chapter. ;)**

**Hope you guys like it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Black Butler in any way, shape, or form. I do, however, own Sophie and her family members.**

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Sophie fumed silently as she leant against the wall of the building Ciel and Sebastian had entered only a few moments ago. Sebastian had taken it upon himself to wake her up and force her to tag along with him and the young earl, telling her that she should take her own letter to the post office. _Is it really that big of a deal to take one letter to the post office for me? There isn't even any point in me being here because I'm not actually needed, save for sending my letter off! Bloody butler is probably just getting back at me for not telling him about my headaches sooner. Tch, how childish…_

"If you don't hurry, Sophie, we'll leave you to pout by yourself."

"Ah, coming!"

The young woman ran a few steps forward to catch up with Sebastian and Ciel, apparently too caught up in her thoughts to notice them exiting the building and walking away. Ciel now held his new cane in his right hand, a frown on his face as the trio continued to stroll down the London streets.

"Finny's idiocy is another bothersome thing. Thanks to that, I got stuck getting a new one." Finny, the poor gardener, had snapped the young master's cane in half just the day before. Sophie couldn't help but feel bad for the boy when he had realized what he had done; he really was a sensitive soul.

"Indeed. It's true that you grew, but it did take time."

Sophie held in a chuckle as Ciel gave Sebastian an annoyed look, ready to shoot back with his own comment when the three noticed a young child asking for the Phantom Company's newest rabbit. The mother looked exasperated as she mentioned she had just bought her child candy.

"Your company's products are quite popular, aren't they, young master?" The witch smiled, recalling her own childhood memories spent playing with similar toys.

"Of course. I wouldn't accept it if they weren't."

After a few minutes of continuous walking, Sophie noticed that they weren't heading back to the carriage and looked at Ciel in confusion. "Young master, do we have another errand to run? I thought we only needed to pick up your cane."

"Your uniform still doesn't fit you properly, so we are taking you to see a tailor."

_Ah, that's right. I forgot about my uniform being too big on me. _"Thank you, my lord, but you really don't have to go to so much trouble."

"We are already out, so it would be a waste if we didn't take you to one. It would be more trouble to fix your uniform at home."

Sophie smiled, bowing her head slightly. "Well, thank you. I very much appreciate it."

She would have appreciated it even more had the tailor not been so bold.

The moment Sophie revealed herself to the brunette woman, she was tackled in a hug. Sophie didn't mind hugs. In fact, she enjoyed hugging people very much. However, she wasn't very comfortable in hugs that involved wandering hands, and Nina Hopkins… well, she let her hands do as they pleased.

"Ah, you're materials are almost as good as MeyRin's! You're a bit smaller than her, so I can see why the uniform needs some fixing, but you're quite adorable for a young woman!"

"Th-thank you…" Sophie didn't quite know what to do. She just prayed that the embarrassment would cause her to faint.

Sebastian sighed at the sight of Nina fondling the poor witch who looked absolutely mortified at this point. "Miss Hopkins, please do not touch Sophie so inappropriately."

Nina scowled at the demon and paused her intimate touching. "I see Mr. Stiff has accompanied the young earl as well."

Ciel cleared his throat, a visible blush on his cheeks despite his usual poker face. "We need this done quickly, if you wouldn't mind. I still have work to attend to at the manor."

The tailor, slightly miffed, released Sophie and went to grab her measuring tape, paper, and pencil. The young maid swayed precariously, her face red as a ripe tomato and what looked to be steam emitting from her head. _What… just happened…?_

Sebastian couldn't help the smirk that blossomed on his face. He steadied Sophie, careful not to allow her uncharacteristically clumsy feet to stamp on his own as she stumbled, knocking against him by accident.

"S-sorry, Sebastian."

Her voice sounded just as dazed as she looked. "It's quite alright, but I never knew you to be so clumsy, Sophie."

"Well, let us see you after you have been thoroughly embarrassed in front of people you hold in high standing." The scowl that formed on her face as a result of his teasing only proved to amuse him.

Sebastian would have teased her more, but Nina whisked her away to begin taking measurements of the brunette's body. The butler settled for watching with a mirth-filled gaze as Nina made comments about Sophie's body, completely disregarding how risqué the comments sounded and causing Sophie's face to remain tomato red the whole time.

"Gagh! This blasted fabric is in the way!"

The sound of ripping fabric resounded in the room.

Sophie's mouth hung open in shock, eyes wide and unblinking as she stood, frozen. Incoherent thoughts raced through her mind, her mind barely registering the slight chill that hit her body. Her brain was struggling to comprehend what had just happened to her, and when the painstaking fact finally settled down heavily upon her mind, her cheeks seemed to flush an even brighter red and her arms jerked up and around her in an attempt to shield her body.

Nina Hopkins had torn her dress off.

Sebastian had reacted quickly and covered Ciel's eyes with his hand while turning himself away from the scene. He would take pity on the poor woman this time; the demon would have plenty of time to tease her about it later anyway. Ciel remained frozen where he stood, thoroughly shocked by Nina's actions. Did she not have any sense of modesty? The young earl felt his eye twitch. _I forgot, this _is _Nina Hopkins. Perhaps I should not have taken Sophie to her…_

The fact the tailor tugged Sophie's arms back down by her sides and scolded her for getting in the way of the measurements only proved that no, she definitely did _not._

Nina continued with her measurements as if what she had done was entirely normal, humming happily and oblivious to the discomfort of the others in the room. She smiled brightly, adjusting her glasses and standing up straight. "All done! Now let's get you over here behind the screen."

The witch allowed herself to be led behind the dark red screen, feeling lightheaded with discomfort and embarrassment once Nina politely asked her to remove her corset. It was the only thing guarding her slightly tanned skin from being exposed, and she had no desire to show her body to Nina, even if she was female and it was only for measurements. Nina wasn't a bad person, she was sure, but she already felt uncomfortable enough. Removing her corset might be the last straw.

Nina proved to be an impatient woman because she was soon insisting and moving to undo the ties in the back. The dizziness began to come back and Sophie soon found herself without her corset and Nina's tape measure around her waist.

To say the least, Sophie Twynam's first meeting with Nina Hopkins certainly wasn't one she hoped to ever have to repeat.

"Even though she could use a lesson on what is appropriate and isn't, Miss Hopkins really is good at her job. She's quite nice, too, designing a specific uniform for me."

Her new uniform wasn't too complicated, but it was still very pleasing to the eye. The dress was a pale green and fell to about where her ankles were, and the sleeve's cuffs were white and done in the same style as MeyRin's uniform. The apron occupied only the lower half of her body and the bottom was curved with frills, rather than straight-edged. The last touch, which Sophie found herself liking and disliking at the same time, were the large white frills bunched at her collar and covering the top of her chest. It was a feature the witch found adorable and pretty at the same time, but it was taking some getting used to. Her neck and chest area were much warmer than she was accustomed to, though the shade of the carriage had helped. Other than that, Sophie was rather happy with her dress.

It even had a pocket large enough for her book.

_Haha, no more having to slip it in between my apron and my dress~! _"Thank you very much, young master."

Sophie turned to her left to see her words had fallen on deaf ears; the young Phantomhive had fallen asleep, arms crossed and lips slightly parted. _He did have an early start today, and he _has_ been working since then. I suppose the young master deserves a bit of rest._ Smiling, she allowed Ciel's head to fall onto her shoulder, shifting a little to make him more comfortable, and resisted the urge to hug him. _As much as he tries to act mature, he can't escape that adorable face of his._

"Ah, it appears the young master has fallen asleep. Though he does look rather comfortable with your shoulder," Sebastian smirked in a way that confused the young witch. "I suggest we give him a seat to himself so he may lie down."

Sophie nodded and slowly moved away from Ciel, taking his hat, lowering him down onto the seat, and lifting his legs up onto it. The brunette then seated herself next to Sebastian, though she made sure to sit as far away from him as she could. She could feel the pull from before, that unexplained attraction, and only when she glanced to her left and saw Sebastian looking back with a devilish expression did she realize why he had suggested giving Ciel the seat to himself.

_The bloody jerk is going to pull something, isn't he?_

Fidgeting with the blue-eyed boy's hat, Sophie turned her face away, gazing down at the floor with sudden interest. Though he was asleep, Ciel was here, so she had some protection from Sebastian's antics, but that didn't mean the butler still wouldn't try anything. A shiver ran down the witch's spine as she recalled all the close encounters she had had with Sebastian and the conflicting feelings that had been involved. What was going on? Why was it only Sebastian that caused these feelings? Neither Finny nor Bard had such a pull on her as Sebastian did, nor did they make her want to run away and hide. Just what was it that allowed Sebastian to have such power over her?

She nearly gasped when realization struck. _Do I… _The young woman felt her face beginning to heat up. _Do I fancy Sebastian? Oh, dear…_

"Are you quite alright, Sophie? Your face is almost as read as it was at Miss Hopkins' shop." That amused smirk was still on his face. Sophie felt her eye twitch.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow at her. Her annoyance wasn't missed. "Are you upset?"

"Well, my coworker is poking fun at me about a subject I would really rather forget. I think I have a right to be upset." Though her epiphany didn't help.

"Who said I was poking fun at you? I was merely stating a fact."

"While knowing it would bother me."

"I didn't _know_ it would bother you," Sebastian's eyes closed as his mouth formed his signature smile. "Though I did have a hunch."

"So you admit you were poking fun at me."

"And if I was?"

Cerulean orbs widened to an impossible size. Sebastian had moved much closer and had leaned over Sophie, his right arm propped against the wall to support his body and his left hand softly clutching her chin. She had leaned back in an attempt to provide some distance between their bodies, leaning against the carriage's side and placing her left hand firmly on the seat while her right hand tightly held Ciel's hat. Her heart raced, pounding furiously in her chest, and her head swam with slight dizziness caused by the closeness of Sebastian. The attraction was stronger than ever, and the urge to bolt was being over powered by it. Coherent thoughts refused to form properly, breathing became hard, and the heat became nearly unbearable. _Sebastian,_ Sophie had a hard time deciding on where to focus her eyes: his eyes, or his lips. _He… Is he seducing me?_

"My dear maid, just what would you do if I was?"

His smile, his body, his words - everything seemed so tempting to her. Sophie felt like he was almost encouraging her to do what her body was wanting to, and before she realized it, her head had begun to tilt to the side. Sebastian's eyes flashed for a split second, so fast it was barely noticeable, but the brief appearance of magenta was all it took to knock the sense back into Sophie. She stopped herself from leaning towards him, trying to catch her breath and organize her still clouded mind.

It wasn't right. They weren't married. They weren't in love. Sebastian was much too close to her for it to be proper. He wasn't truly interested in her; he only enjoyed seeing her reactions to his teasing. This was just another act, as usual, and she had fallen for it, as usual. This needed to stop. She needed to get away from him before… before…

But those lips looked so soft…

_No! Focus, Sophie, focus! _She blinked up at the demon. _You can't kiss him! Sure, perhaps you fancy him, but you can't go and kiss him just because you feel attracted to him. You don't know him all that well; Heck, you haven't even known him for a bloody week! Pull yourself together and get away from him before something happens that you'll regret!_

Sebastian, too, tilted his head, but not because he was going to initiate the kiss. Honestly, he had only gone this far to see how much he could influence the little witch; she had made him rather curious after resisting him earlier. How much could she take before she gave into the temptation? How strong were her morals that seemed to fuel her willpower? Sebastian wanted to know, and he couldn't help the demonic side of him that wanted to see her give in and allow herself to be corrupted.

No, Sebastian hadn't tilted his head to kiss her; he had tilted his head in curiosity. _What an odd creature she is,_ He felt the amused smirk making its way back onto his face. _It seems she is actually resisting me again._

Sophie placed her left hand on Sebastian's chest, moving to push him away, when the carriage hit a bump, launching her body just up high enough for her lips to meet the butler's. Her hand had instinctively clutched onto his shirt, so he was brought down with her so that his arms were on either side of the brunette, his lips remaining on top of hers. Sophie's eyes, large from the shock of her lips being claimed for the first time, met Sebastian's. His eyes held a few different emotions, though she could really only make out one, which she wasn't thrilled about at all. Scrunching her eyes shut, Sophie pushed on his chest with all her might, effectively pushing the demon away from her. Her face burned, her heart pounded angrily in her chest, and her legs felt like gelatin. She righted herself in her seat, picked up Ciel's hat which had fallen to the ground when the carriage hit the bump, and squished herself against the carriage's wall.

_That butler… That bloody, devil of a butler…_

There had been amusement in his eyes.

* * *

**_IMPORTANT!_** I'm starting school soon, so it'll be harder for me to update, but I will do my best! :)

_**JUST ABOUT AS IMPORTANT!** _Can't remember the numbers, but Manga won, so I shall be writing to the manga storyline. I may, however, include certain things from the anime (like Pluto).

Sorry again for taking so long to update! I promise you guys I'll try to be better about my updates!

I really hope you enoyed this chapter! Please remember to review so I know how I did. :) See ya~!

~1000WTBS


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